Following in the footsteps of Roman archaeology and its history 📷 Malaga - Spain

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To understand the present and plan for the future it is good to know the history that preceded us. And not only to know it but to marvel at what they did and achieved centuries ago without the tools we have today.

These things and many more are what I analysed while touring the Museum of Roman Archaeology, inside what is now the Palacio de la Aduana in the city of Malaga.

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I like history, the real history, and walking through these corridors I was able to see it, to be in front of it and see its beauty.

This whole area of the museum is explained on the walls with a lot of writings, as well as having people available to ask questions and who know a lot about what is in these showcases.

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People who admire this period of history and I could see it in their faces. The girl who was kindly commenting on part of the tour said she liked this part more than the famous paintings and she said it with great joy.

The Romans dominated many parts of the world for a long time and left their traces wherever they went and this part of Spain is no exception, in fact, the amount of finds impresses me. As if there was one city under another.

Many constructions all over Spain had to be suspended because of Roman remains and they were considered archaeological finds. Spain was built on top of another city and it had to be preserved. It is part of the history of humanity, where we come from.

Many historians and restorers were involved in the formation of the beauties you see in these photographs, which along the route various posters tell about the personal lives of each of them.

But what interested me most was what I was seeing, those antique objects in front of me.

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Mention is made on the various panels of historical milestones, but the bronze tablets of the Lex Flavia Malacitana are always highlighted.

Also how different cultures and communities were integrated through a long process to install the Roman municipalities here.

It was impressive to imagine while seeing all these objects the amount of excavation projects that had been carried out to find all these relics of history that mark the history of the whole world. Great work that began in the 18th century and went on for a long time.

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Everything you see here is of great historical and cultural importance and there was an exquisite taste for all Greco-Roman antiquity and this extended to an international level.

Ancient mosaics, vases, sculptures, articles of daily life could be admired in each of these marvellous showcases, so well cared for and tastefully arranged.

One's eyes were not enough to see all that was there. It takes hours to appreciate each of these items and they are very well documented, with their description on the side.

All these lands belonged to Rome as early as the 3rd century B.C., so everything you see here is of great importance. These places under the rule of Rome, they had their covenants, their own currencies, but they paid tribute to the empire.

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Not only did I get to see items of daily life, but a large part of the museum was devoted to the subject of the cemeteries of that time and all that goes with that. The personal objects with which people were buried, the burial culture.

The Roman influence in this respect was very strong, as ornaments, carvings and even the grave goods bore the Roman stamp.

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On the other hand, I was able to see many objects belonging to the Alcazaba Castle, the great fortress of the city. Many handmade pieces, decorative, with a beautiful style, made with procedures of placing the colours to create lattices in the vessels, for example.

I admire art very much and especially ancient art where each piece, each work was a great and important work, detailed, with an incomparable style and unparalleled beauty. Much of this I could see in this museum.

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This Roman influence was in all sectors of life, adaptation was important. It generated reforms of infrastructure, constructions, forms of entertainment such as shows and even reforms in private homes. Everything from the largest to the smallest had this Roman tinge.

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I was able to see sections dedicated to everyday life such as the production of fish sauces and salted fish, wine, oil and much more. All of these needed certain items and all of them were there on display thanks to the huge excavations carried out. A great job and of course the great work of restoration of the objects that were not in such a good condition.

In several parts of the museum you could see again the theme of the cemeteries and the way of burial. This is of great importance.

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I was also able to see a beautiful bust of the Emperor Antoninus Pius, its conservation was fabulous.

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Beyond all that I could appreciate there is something that occupies the central axis of the whole museum and that is the Mosaic of the Birth of Venus.

Its size is impressive and it is located in the centre of the museum.

It was discovered in Cártama in the 20th century when a resident of the town was renovating the construction of his house. In the excavations it was possible to extract this great work of art with the Goddess of Love Venus and a great work was carried out to extract and restore it.

It is of great beauty and taking a photograph of it was an odyssey due to the size, I tried to take different angles of it to be able to appreciate it better.

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Of course the Catholic Church was present in that period and its influence was very great. Great were the works of Rome carried out in that sense.

That is why there were also many finds in the area with Christian symbolism.

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Relations with other cultures, ways of life, everything is united in the finds made and the theme of death, cemeteries and the church was always present.

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The reference to Malaga or the former Malacca, as an important centre of trade through the port, was very much emphasised in the writings of the museum and the objects alluding to the respective culture could be seen. You could appreciate the commercial splendour of the city in that sense through everything you were seeing.

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The Islamic conquest of the site led to the coexistence of different cultures and so the finds were no longer purely Roman. There is a lot of reference to that influence and how the cultures intermingled.

As the years progressed, other types of objects with the aforementioned influence could be seen.

A lot of beauty, detail, colour and delicacy in the making of them, with a very particular style.

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I have to emphasize that what I liked the most, apart from the Venus Mosaic, was the ceramics of the Alcazaba, really surprising and that I could not stop looking at and admiring.

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The woodwork was also amazing.

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But I love pottery and being able to be close to each of these pieces was very magical, considering their age and state of conservation.

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At the end of the tour, so well documented and with even a great guide, I was able to see various maps of what the city was like at the time and appreciate the history a little more.

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It was a visit without comparison, where I enjoyed art, history and a great work of historians and restorers.

Thank you all very much for joining me on this wonderful tour. Best regards to all of you and see you next time.
Amonet.

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_{All photographs are my own.
Separators created by me in Photoshop.
Used translator Deepl.com free version.
[//]:# (!worldmappin 36.71997 lat -4.41684 long Following in the footsteps of Roman archaeology and its history 📷 Malaga - Spain d3scr)}